LeRoy Paige was at Monday’s meeting of the city council to seek Belleville’s support for the Honor and Remember flag he is promoting. Paige of Sumpter Township, a Vietnam veteran and manager of the statewide H&R group, already had received the full support of his Sumpter Township board for his flag. They agreed to fly the flag at the township for the month of May.
A picture of the flag flying on a pole below the American flag at a municipal building in Sumpter brought consternation at Sunday’s Bugles Across America event at the Veterans Memorial in Belleville. The way it was flying, just under the American flag, was against flag protocol, they said.
On Monday, after Paige was told the city would delay for two weeks consideration of his request to use the H&R flag at the Veterans Memorial, among other requests, he left the meeting.
Cornell Anton, speaking for the local VFW and PLAV, said if Sumpter doesn’t remove that H&R flag from the American flag pole, the groups will withdraw participation in Sumpter Fest, held each Memorial Day week end. If the city allows the H&R flag to fly at the Veterans Memorial, the groups will cease participation in events at that site. The H&R flag resembles the North Vietnam and North Korean flags, which is one issue. Another issue is loyalty to the American flag. (To be continued.)